Staten Island chaplain accused of bringing razors, scissor into jail

Associated PressA chaplain was arrested at the Manhattan Detention Complex today.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A Department of Correction chaplain who lives on Staten Island was arrested today on charges he tried to bring three straight razors and a pair of scissors into a Manhattan jail.

Imam Zul-Qarnain Abdu-Shahid, 58, was taken into custody after the x-ray machine at the Manhattan Detention Complex -- otherwise known as "The Tombs" -- alerted officers to metal in his bag. Officials then discovered the objects, according to the Department of Investigation (DOI).

He is charged with four counts of first- and second-degree promoting prison contraband. The first degree count is a Class D felony punishable by up to seven years in prison if convicted. Shahid has been employed with the DEC since February 2007.

"This arrest demonstrates the serious consequences of bringing in contraband to the City's correctional facilities," said Rose Gill Hearn, DOI commissioner, in a press release. "Thanks to the immediate action of a DOC officer this potentially dangerous situation was disarmed."

Meanwhile, the attorney of the jails chaplain said there's "absolutely no reason to believe" his client knew the
items were in his bag.

Abdu-Shahid made his initial court appearance on
the charges but did not enter a plea. He was being held on $50,000 bond
or $30,000 cash.

James M. McQueeney, his defense attorney, said there was no
evidence to believe that his client knew that the items were in his bag
when he went to work earlier that day.

"He has the lifestyle of a very stable person," said McQueeney, adding that his client had a wife and three children.

Abdu-Shahid was taken into custody wearing long, blue robes and
a Muslim skullcap, the DOI said.

But McQueeney said his client had been allowed to start his shift
and only later did officials raise questions about the items found in
Abdu-Shahid's bag. "His explanation that he didn't know that they were
there was accepted," McQueeney said.

Abdu-Shahid served 14 years in state prison, from 1979 to 1993,
after being convicted of shooting a man to death during a robbery,
according to the state Department of Correctional Services.

He was arrested on Dec. 9, 1976, and convicted of second-degree
murder and first-degree robbery, DOCS said. He was on parole until
2001.

Abdu-Shahid's attorney said his client had "has completely reformed his life."

Commissioner Dora Schriro has directed a thorough review of the circumstances surrounding his hiring, Morello said.

"I commend our officers whose diligence prevented contraband from
entering the jail," Schriro said in a statement. "The employee who was
intercepted was suspended immediately. Additional steps up to and
including dismissal will be pursued consistent with the findings of the
Department of Investigation."

In 2009, a different chaplain assigned to the same jail resigned
after being linked to a lavish, catered bar mitzvah that was organized
for the son of an inmate at the lockup. Three other jail officials also
were disciplined, including the warden and the head of the city's jail
chaplains, over their roles in allowing the bash. --- The Associated Press contributed to this report. ---